Man of a Million Miracles
by LittleEnglishLass
Summary: The question "Who is Zero?" is an odd one. There isn't a simple answer. He is a man, yes, but he is also hope. He is power and fire, sin and righteousness, precious and bright like the heart of the sun, but dark and terrifying like the devil. He is life and death, he is the patter of rain on a misty morning, and the whisper of a beautiful legend in the shadows of a gruesome night.
1. Voice

**Guess what sweeties? I got bored. I have no inspiration for any of my other fics. And thus, here we are.**

**I don't know specifically **_**why **_**I decided to do a Code Geass fic on a whim, as I've never actually written for it (so please advise me if I commit the terrible crime of OOCness). However, I think the reason I wrote this was because for the most part in CG fics, I feel people focus too much on Lelouch rather than Zero. It bothers me a little, mainly because I think the persona of 'Zero' is actually a **_**bigger **_**and far more**_** interesting**_** character, if that makes any sense. To everyone else, Lelouch is nothing more than a rich schoolboy/prince, **_**Zero **_**is the most influential rebel leader in the history of forever, Brittanian Most Wanted, the head honcho, The Big Chief, Numero Uno…and so on and so forth. I am aware they're kind of the same person and all, but I don't know, I just would love to see more fics out there that focus on Zero and the way he is perceived by his friends and enemies. I guess that's why I wanted to make this. **

**NOTE; **A lot of these will run on into each other, while others are completely unrelated. Also, it may be a little **AU**, but not by much, the characters are just a bit older, and it's also a **'second-chance fic'**, because I am IN LOVE with that idea. Basically, just roll with anything that seems different, m'kay?

**Enjoy. *waves huge Black Knight flag* Liberate Japan and the world, all that hoo-hah! But only if I get a great big cuddle from Zero… *holds out arms expectantly***

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**Man of a Million Miracles**

**1. Voice**

Many hours after the battle in Shinjuku, the de-facto leader of the little terrorist group sat back in their small, crumbling, but well hidden base situated deep and safe in the ghetto. Ohgi put a hand on his chin and considered recent events in detail, eyes fixed on the only thing that connected him with the strange man who'd shown up, saved their lives and then vanished.

He was soon joined by the rest of the group. They said nothing for a while, and merely stared at the now silent radio as though waiting for their enigmatic saviour to begin talking any second, to issue them some more seemingly impossible, but amazingly effective orders and give them brand new, shiny toys to play with.

"So…who d'you think he was?" Tamaki asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't know." Ohgi answered honestly. "But he's obviously on our side so-"

"Yeah, and it's a good thing too!" Tamaki blurted out. "Can ya imagine if that dude was on the _other _side?! Heck, I'd bet all the resistance groups would be weeded out and six feet under in a week!"

Naomi interjected, "I don't normally agree with Tamaki, but I have to say I'll make an exception in this case."

Yoshitika and Kento nodded, while Yoshida and Kallen merely looked on silently, their faces impassive. Ohgi took the chance to continue his earlier sentence. He knew he may not get another one.

"Yes, quite. But as I was saying, he's obviously on our side for whatever reason, so I guess we can assume he'll contact us again. But then again, it's just a likely he won't." Ohgi sighed deeply. "I don't know what to think. He didn't give us any information about himself, so he doesn't trust us enough for that, _but _he apparently thinks we're worthy enough for some brand new, top of the line Sutherlands and a ton of ammo."

"That implies he intends to seek us out again." Kallen finally spoke up. "Why else would he let us keep the stuff?"

"But why did he choose _us_?"

"And just who _is _this guy?"

Ohgi stood up.

"At the moment, he's just a voice. A simple, calm voice who's shown up out of nowhere, given us more weaponry than I've ever seen, decimated the enemy lines and somehow gotten a ceasefire order all in the space of about twenty minutes."

Ohgi paused.

"I'd say we're dealing with a genius."

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**Stay tuned for more Zero and The Black Knights. :) I'll post a couple of these in quick succession, as one isn't really enough to give you a good feel of my writing style and so on.**

**I really would like to think I did well and can continue, but I don't want to make a cock up and be all…bleh… You get what I mean, right?**

**Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget the review! Peace.**

**Next word is 'Mystery'. **


	2. Mystery

**Here you go my dears, the next part of what's hopefully going to be a loooooong series. :) **

**Author notes should be rather small now, as I think I covered everything in the first one, but if I feel anything needs explaining later on then I'll make sure to give you all the facts first before you read and get confused. Also, don't be strangers, if you have any questions, then be sure to leave them in the reviews and I'll explain them the best I can.**

**Enjoy.**

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**Man of a Million Miracles**

**2. Mystery**

Ohgi leaned against the crumbling doorframe of the ruined building his group was currently hiding out in, putting the finishing touches to Zero's crazy, but brilliant plan to rescue the disgraced, but apparently innocent Suzaku Kururugi.

It seemed mad. The man who'd lead them to victory in Shinjuku was also the killer of Prince Clovis. Their saviour was a man who could have so easily let the Private take the blame. However, that seemed to be the last thing on Zero's mind. He seemed so committed to justice, he was willing to announce to the world his crime rather than let a deserving traitor be punished in his stead.

Ohgi was as lost as ever trying to figure him out. He looked up when he heard ever so soft footsteps approach behind him.

There he was, the man himself, standing and gazing around at the building in apparent mild interest. He seemed to be swathed in the shadows themselves, his smooth helmet letting no insight to his features, though his voice was open to them. It was a soft, almost gentle tone that could so easily rise into a crescendo of unrivalled purpose and belief, like that of a fictional hero bringing light to the darkness. The man seemed to bask in his own hypnotic aura of power; an unquestionable air of authority caressed his voice and movements, he held himself with such grace and dignity Ohgi half wondered if he was some sort of god.

Ohgi smiled a little at the tall man mere metres away. He was like nothing they'd ever seen before. He was a mystery. A living, breathing mystery that seemed to have no end. They didn't know anything about him, not his name, face or even his reasons for choosing them, of all people, to help out.

So why were they going along with his plan?

Ohgi supposed it had something to do with the Shinjuku Miracle.

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**Not too sure if I like this one, it's quite short, but meh, I can't think of anything better to write for the word 'mystery'. **

**Toodles!**

**Next word is 'Genius'. **


	3. Genius

**Here I go again, my my, how can I resist you? *I hate that song***

**I just can't stop with these. They demand to be written and I don't have the willpower to refuse.**

* * *

**Man of a Million Miracles**

**3. Genius**

"I never thought that would work." Kallen said shakily, sinking onto her chair and staring up at the tall, sophisticated figure in front of her. "I thought we were toast for a few moments there. I can't believe we pulled it off!"

"Such cruel words wound me, dear Lady Kallen." The amused voice quipped behind the mask. Zero placed an elegant hand over his heart as though she had just broken it.

Kallen laughed and rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the strange, infuriatingly brilliant man as he folded his arms back across his chest, apparently surveying her with eyes she couldn't, but secretly longed to see.

"Honestly, after seeing how easily it is to fool and manipulate the enemy in Shinjuku, I would have thought you might have had a tad more faith in me." Zero continued, and sounding only _slightly_ put out. "This whole plan was incredibly simple; I've probably devised far more complex scenarios in my sleep. Well…in fact I have."

He shrugged at that last comment, and Kallen couldn't help the incredulous grin that worked its way onto her face. He was so casual about it, as if he really didn't know the magnitude of the situation.

"Simple? Look Zero, I hate to state the obvious here, but seriously, to think that was even _remotely _simple you must be some kind of genius or something." Ohgi said from the other end of the room.

"A genius? I hardly think so."

"No, you're definitely a regular little Einstein." Tamaki leaned against the wall of their base, looking serious for once. "I mean, dude, you got that Gottwald guy to hand over the kid. He's the leader of the _Purist Faction_ man! That's not an easy thing to do! Heck, If you'd have told me about it before I saw it with my own eyes, I'd have said you were nuts!"

Zero merely seemed thoughtful, as though he'd never really considered the possibility before.

"Speaking of Gottwald, what on Earth is this whole Orange business?" Naomi asked, stepping forward and placing a hand on her hip. "It's gotta be something HUGE to get a member of the Purists to help us out. Spill!"

* * *

**Well, I tried. This one wanted to be written so badly, but made my head hurt trying to keep it casual. There's not many fics out there that deal with our beloved bunch winding down after a battle or something, I wanted to do one. **

**Hope you enjoyed. The next word is 'Radience'. **


	4. Radience

**I hope this one isn't too cheesy, but I guess this is the way Dietard thinks of Zero at least (he's not wrong either). ****I do rather like the character of Dietard. Personally I think he represents all us fangirls as a single canon character. :D**

**DIETARD; THE CANON FANBOY! Coming soon to theatres near you! (I'd go see it...)**

**Did**_** my**_** inner fangirl show herself in this part? Yes, of course she did. You just can't write about Zero and not squeal/dance for joy/spazz like a nut. He's just so effing amazing.**

**Enjoy, my lovelies!**

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**Man of a Million Miracles**

**4. Radiance**

He was something new, unlike anything ever seen before in the history of the universe. There was just something about him that would cast a spell over people, an air of vast intelligence and nobility that poured from his extraordinary figure and washed over them like rain over choked earth.

When he spoke, as he performed miracle after miracle, people hung on his every word, drinking in everything he said and committing it to memory. They spoke in electrified whispers on the streets, untainted admiration filling their hushed tones, glimmers of hope appearing in their eyes at the sight of the posters their tyrants meant to encourage them against him.

To witness one of his speeches in person was nothing short of a masterpiece. Hearing his voice sweep effortlessly into his crowning crescendo could rouse the starving masses into a victory march befitting that of the gods and soothe a panicking army into a calm, unbroken hush. He could incite the enemy into a furious rage with his simple, brilliant words alone, a seemingly effortless action which won him many battles and spared many innocent lives.

And in those moments when he was silent behind the impassive mask that could somehow speak of so much emotion, people watched him out of the corners of their eyes, as though they feared he would vanish the second they looked away.

From all corners of the oppressed nation they came, sought him out, hoping for even a mere glimpse of the mystery man who had appeared from nowhere and brought about a fresh hope, a new fight in their hearts and minds. He accepted them for who they were with open arms, no matter their creed, race or lifestyle. He tolerated no bigoted judgement by those he commanded, and made it clear he would not stand for the very people he was trying to liberate committing the sins of their oppressors.

They clung desperately to him like moths around a flame, his radiance encircling them in a bright, powerful embrace, and yet, like a flame they fought hard to keep him burning strong. They shielded him against the tempest of the enemy till their very last breath, refusing to let him flicker out and leave them in the darkness once more.

For Dietard Reid, there was to be no greater purpose in his life than to witness and document this man, this single man who had united a world and asked for nothing but loyalty in return.

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**These are quite short, aren't they? :/ But there's only SO much you can do with just one word as a prompt. **

**Quality over quantity, as mother says. :D**

**The next word is 'Talk'. **


	5. Talk

**I meant to do some more of these sooner, but I got distracted by Tom Hiddleston's beauty and his I-really-don't-know-how-cute-I-am-adorableness. Who **_**wouldn't**_**?! Sweet cheese, that man is so gorgeous it's criminal!**

**Btw, am I the only one who finds the idea of Kallen crushing on Zero while he's absolutely oblivious adorable and completely squeeable? Oh, I am? Okay, no biggie. And yes, don't be confused, this whole fic IS written with a 'second-chance' aspect, so Lelouch knows about everything *SPOILERS* Marianne did. I researched the light novels too, and I feel like I should include their portrayal of Marianne, as it just seems so much more evil, as we know Marianne was. The crazy bitch.**

**Anyhoo, enjoy this MUCH longer oneshot! But don't expect them ALL to be like this. *hugs the computer and bounds happily out the room to find Zero and hug him too***

* * *

**Man of a Million Miracles**

**5. Talk**

Kallen felt as though she'd been smashed into a million tiny pieces.

After finding her mother in the Refrain raid, drugged up to the point where she couldn't even separate reality from the dreamlike spell the damned substance cast, the Knightmare Ace kneeled at the bottom of the huge shelves, tears flowing freely as she tried not to look at the weak figure lying at her feet. Inwardly, she cursed at herself for not noticing the symptoms of the drug and doing something to help. She cursed herself for being such a stupid fool in treating her mother so badly and never bothering to realise she was the reason why the woman stayed at her side, no matter the abuse she suffered.

A harsh sob choked her slightly as she remembered her callous nature to the woman who'd birthed her, the woman who had shown only kindness and patience in the face of her daughter's relentless hatred and received nothing but more contempt in reward.

Burying her face in her hands, Kallen sobbed harder. This whole thing was all her fault. It was her fault her mother had been driven to seek out a drug that brought back the past, when Kallen had been small and gazed up at the pretty woman that was her mother in the awe and adoration all children had. Her mother just couldn't deal with the cold, distant young woman Kallen had grown into, never understanding her daughter's hate.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry!" Kallen howled, knowing full well her mother didn't understand much of anything at the moment. But she just needed to say it. "I-I was a real cold-hearted bitch to you the w-whole time, a-and y-you…you never even-"

The Knightmare Ace broke off, unable to fight down the huge sobs that rose in her throat as the tears fell harder. She jumped when she felt a hand gently grip her shoulder and snapped her gaze up, right into the reflective surface of Zero's helmet. He was crouched beside her on the grubby warehouse floor, she saw her mother being carried carefully away on a stretcher behind him. Looking back, she caught sight of her blotchy face and puffy eyes in the smooth, mirror like glass and fiercely scrubbed her features with her sleeve, while his arm returned to his side.

She didn't want Zero to see her crying. She tried to tell herself it was because she was a strong warrior and she didn't want to be seen as pathetic, but she knew it was more likely the fact that she looked absolutely horrid when she cried and maybe had a _slight _crush on the guy. Maybe…okay definitely, but it wasn't like she was the only being in the world that'd fallen head-over-heels for the living definition of Mr. Tall, Dark and Mysterious!

It didn't escape her notice that her face, namely her cheeks, had gone far redder than before, and she doubted it had escaped his notice either.

"There is no dishonour in tears, Kallen."

His voice was far gentler that she'd ever heard it, and a part of her, probably the part that harboured her little crush, quivered at the low note before the tingling feeling was replaced with anger. Not with him, mainly at herself and a little at her mother.

"But t-there is dishonour in having a user mother!" Kallen said hotly.

"No there isn't."

"How?! It shows she was weak! First she gave into Brittania, and then she gives into a man who gets her pregnant and does nothing to help her, now a drug."

"The human weaknesses of your mother's heart, mind or body have nothing to do with it. If the positions of the Japanese and Brittanians were magically reversed, then this same situation would occur, probably ten times as fast. The conditions of this society would cause even the highest of morals to decay when it is thrust upon innocents. It serves as a bitterly tragic, but unyielding aide-mémoire of what we strive for."

The simple logic of the man made her stop and look back up into the inky depths of the helmet. He was right, as always. Every new horror they discovered to be the fault of Brittanian bigotry only fuelled the rage of those that resisted the madness. Thinking about the horrors she herself had witnessed, Kallen's eyes began to sting again. She focused herself on the masked face that had become a symbol of hope, and a tiny voice in the back of her head wondered dreamily what colour Zero's eyes were, but she quickly stamped it out. The last thing she needed was to blurt out something like that, as was typical of her when she was upset.

"At any rate, my initial suspicions over the concern of the victims' health have been confirmed. We know the poisonous concentration of the drug has been growing, and I am told the amount of Refrain in their systems this time was bordering on lethal. It seems the dealers decided to increase the addiction rate, but as I assumed, none of them were accomplished chemists." Zero spoke in that factual way he did. "Merely corrupt Brittanian nobles wishing to turn a quick profit without the danger of being arrested for endangering the lives of innocents. How typically like the nobility."

"You got that right. Wait, did you say lethal?! Are they going to be okay?! What about my mother?!" Kallen cried, but Zero held up a hand.

"Thankfully, they have all been handled over to medical aid and I am assured they will make a full recovery thanks to our swift action. As with the other raids, I will have the usual measures taken to avoid any of them suffering the undue punishment awarded to Japanese Refrain users by Brittania, I will also have a few more small medical centres set up to deal with the after-effects."

Kallen nodded gratefully to the man in front of her, while secretly she wanted to throw herself at him and sob into his shoulder. She didn't think he'd allow that though. To be honest, she knew a lot of people, even those who didn't work with him, wanted to do that ever since he first announced his intentions to keep Brittanian law enforcement unaware of identities of the people under the drug's influence and have special secret centres set up in every neighbourhood of the ghetto, meaning the victims wouldn't spend the rest of their lives in the harsh jails, that they, and anyone else suffering from the drug, had somewhere to go and recover psychologically after they were let out of the hospital Zero had _somehow_ (they really should have been used to this by now, as he seemed to secretly own half the damn country) prearranged to discreetly look after them all.

The red-haired young woman sighed shakily. It didn't matter how Zero had gotten ownership of a hospital. It didn't matter how he continuously managed to get certain records and findings erased. It didn't matter how he could simply set up places for people to go and get help. What mattered was her mother wouldn't suffer any more, thanks to Zero.

Kallen sniffed and wiped her eyes once more. She wanted to blurt out how indebted they all were for his benevolence and discretion, but knowing her luck it would have ended up as a splurge of nonsense and an accidental admittance she fancied the pants off him. So, instead, she settled with the tried and tested method of expressing one's gratitude.

"Thank you." She said, voice croaky. "Thank you Zero. Thank you so much."

Zero merely inclined his head politely, as he always did when faced with any kind of thanks. Not that he was _modest _in any sense of the word, but she thought maybe he just didn't really like being thanked directly. He observed gratitude in the smiles and laughter of those around him, in seeing the hope returning to the eyes of those treated the worst, and the reverence people held him in.

He stood up and held out a hand for her. She accepted it gladly, relishing the feel of the expensive material and the warmth of the elegant hand underneath. Kallen assumed that would be it, but Zero seemed to consider her for a few moments before catching her off guard with his next words.

"If it is in accordance with your wishes, you can have leave time to spend with your mother. As long as you'd like. I'm sure she would be happy to have you beside her, supporting her through the difficult days that are to come." He offered it tentatively, obviously not wanting to tread personal lines. "You need not worry about your duties, as after the end of this week I will have little for the Black Knights to do while I negotiate with other groups and handle my contacts for any new information."

"Do _you _ever take time off, Zero?"

The question slipped out before Kallen had chance to stop it. She bit her lip, wondering if she'd crossed the invisible line Zero drew around himself as he fell silent.

"I mean-er…it's just you always seem so busy and all and I was wondering if…um…if you have a family and stuff 'cause some people think you're married but others don't and I'm just going to shut up now because I'm rambling and I'll probably say something stupid."

Kallen felt the blush coming back to her cheeks full force and held her breath. She really hoped she hadn't pissed him off. Zero had a strict policy on people asking him personal things. You just didn't, simple as that.

"This isn't about me taking time off Kallen," Thankfully, Zero didn't seem annoyed by the sudden probing into his private life. The Ace began to breathe again. "This is about you and your mother."

Kallen drew a bit of her famed bravery that always seemed to scurry away in her leader's majestic presence. "My mother is as much a fool as I am. And why do you even care so much about this? It's not as if you've been through-"

"Not as if I've been through worse in my childhood? You shouldnever assume _anything_ about me Kallen."

Zero's voice, the only thing that even seemed vaguely human about him, had become suddenly so heavy and sad that Kallen felt like kicking herself. She glanced at him, his shoulders were slumped, his stance tired and world-weary. God, she felt like a massive prat. She didn't know what had happened in his life, she couldn't judge.

"Zero, what d'you mean?" She asked softly.

"I mean you should find sanctuary that your mother has always been there for you, and will continue to be. That she supported you and Naoto to the end, even though she could so easily have been executed for being the mother of terrorists. That she _loves _you enough to endure abuse at the hands of your stepmother. You should be thankful your father holds no evil towards you or your mother, despite you being the child of a Japanese maid and she being perhaps a mere flight of fancy. He let you both stay in his house, when he could so easily have sent you both away and out of his hands."

Zero paused and glanced at the bloodstain left by one of the factory workers. His next words were so quiet, Kallen barely heard them.

"I have never been granted such wonders in life."

Kallen felt like something sharp had pierced her chest. She felt really bad for her outburst now, and also slightly honoured Zero actually trusted her enough to even elusively imply anything about his life.

"What were you granted instead?"

Zero laughed, it was a humourless, dead sound that chilled Kallen to the core.

"You got an at least half-happy life, with a loving parent ready and waiting to care for you in the wings. I got a den of vipers for a home. A mother who would quite cheerfully have slit the throats of all her children while they slept if it would have furthered her plans, only to get herself killed right in front of my eyes, and a father who sent a sibling and I into a place he fully intended to make a warzone when I confronted him with his crimes. I suppose he had planned for my sibling and I to be 'tragically' killed in the crossfire." Zero shook his head with that same awful laugh. "As you can see, that never happened. I expect he'd be rather shocked if he knew just how far his unwanted children have come."

Kallen felt back on the verge of tears. "Oh, Zero…that's…horrible."

"Indeed, but those were by far not the worst days of my life. A long time has passed since then." Zero's head snapped back up, shoulders back into that trademark stance. "Now do you see why I feel obliged to keep you and your mother together?"

Kallen nodded, sniffing and wiping her eyes. There was clearly to be no more deep chat, Zero could tell you stuff like that without actually telling you.

"Oh dear, I made you cry. That's not good, is it? Ohgi will have my head. We should get going, if we spend any longer here there may be many unfavourable rumours about us by the morning, and I for one have had enough of the gossip, especially the one concerning my apparent romantic relations with the Empress of Brittania."

The light tone Zero normally had was back, but nothing would make Kallen forget the dark part of him she'd just seen. She followed him back outside the warehouse, barely noticing the rest of their group finishing up with the last of the Refrain victims and the dealers that remained alive for interrogation later.

"Zero?"

"Yes Kallen?"

"If…um, if you ever need to talk…or something, then you know you can trust me with absolutely anything right?"

"I've always trusted you Kallen. I see a lot of myself in you sometimes."

"But if you need to talk to someone-"

"Then you will be first on my list."

* * *

**The ending could probably use some work, I know. (The whole thing could probably use some work). But if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I AM HORRIBLE AT ENDINGS! :D Seriously, I suck.**

**I apologise for any OOCness. My grasp of writing these characters is fledgling at best, though hopefully I'll get better with time and practice. Also typos, I wrote this at like...12 at night. I checked over it three times, but there's always something I end up missing.**

**Toodle pip!**

**The next word is; Unique. (Any ideas for that one?)**


	6. Unique

***Yeah, I changed the title. I didn't really like the other one. But what do you guys think? Was the old one better or is this one more preferable?**

**I love writing these. :) They're a lot of fun, because I get to write about the stuff practically nobody else has. **

**This is an odd angle I worked at with this one, but I wanted to write something about Kaguya. I think she's such a sweet, funny character and people just don't give her enough credit. Sure, she's always trying to marry Zero (who can blame her, I mean SERIOUSLY, dude is practically the walking **_**definition**_** of sex! *writer is definitely not a fangirl or anything*), but she's also very intelligent, a vicious politician and worthy tactical officer in her own right. She IS one of the heads of a powerful terrorist group, don't forget.**

**Hope you like!**

* * *

**The Man of a Million Miracles**

**Unique**

The Lady Kaguya had a pensive look on her young, attractive face as she paced around her bedchambers, fiddling vaguely with the ties on the sleeve of her nightgown. She'd long since sent away all her good-natured, but noisy night guards for some peace and quiet. She needed to think clearly, and having a bunch of chatty, gossiping maids and playful, but honourable armed guards wasn't the best of environments for some serious brain work.

Her mind was reeling.

She was always the first to admit she was hard to impress. She'd never made any move to deny that particular trait of her personality, though she protested anyone implying she thought with her eyes rather than her mind. She _wasn't _a victim of runaway teenage hormones, no matter what they said. Nevertheless, it was practically expected for her to be calculatedly indifferent with everyone and everything, what with growing up in luxury and having so much authority she could fancied she had a forgotten stack of it lying around in an unused corner somewhere.

Every day, new terrorist groups sprang up like rabbits. With their fancy names but oh-so short lifespans, none of them really counted in the end. They were either blown up in a badly organised battle, or captured and executed unceremoniously after getting too cocky over some small, trifling triumph.

For years, even the mighty JLF had struggled to grasp any sort of meaningful victory over Brittannia, their technology slowly becoming more and more obsolete and their funds chipped away faster and faster. Taking into account the fact their walls held the famous Tohdoh the Miracle Maker and the Four Holy Swords, anyone would be forgiven for thinking perhaps the purpose of all these freedom fighters was a sham, a lost cause, a joke. That maybe they should all just give up and accept their fates willingly, because nothing anyone did or said would ever change the suffocating subjugation they lived under, and any sort of resistance merely served to make life harder for them.

Maybe she'd entertained that thought a few times, maybe she hadn't, but her innermost, fleeting thoughts didn't matter in the slightest.

What mattered was that she could see where everything had gone wrong, where the resistance had made mistakes. The problem wasn't anything to do with limited technology or lack of funds, the problem was they all wanted something to be done about their country's brutal occupation, but quite frankly; none of them had balls big enough or wits shrewd enough to carry out anything truly worthwhile and put even the tiniest of dent in the Brittanian forces.

_But…_Kaguya thought, sitting on the window ledge and staring out at the dark gardens with an odd smile. _What about this Zero character?_

Yes, what about this strange, masked madman the world was currently having wild, screaming seizures and massive temper tantrums over? What was so special about him? Well for starters, he'd achieved more in a single night than any other resistance group had for many years.

Pulled off an impossible rescue with virtually no aid? Check that.

Murdered the bastard responsible for the slaughter of thousands? Check.

Gotten away with it? Beautifully so.

Thrown the world into chaos? Understatement of the year, but check it off anyway.

Kaguya sighed, maybe a _bit_ dreamily, as she remembered witnessing the grace of the man and his plans, his masterful accounting for everything the Brittanians could possibly throw at him, the way he proudly announced his punishment of that royal brat Clovis to the entire world and made it clear the killing or harming of innocents was a huge no-no in his book. Kaguya had watched, marvelling as he effortlessly backed a member of the _Purist Faction _into a corner with a single word, and held the entire crowd as fake hostages without them even realising it, merely releasing harmless coloured smoke to scatter them all away from the ensuing scrap, then silently vanishing into the night from whence he came, Private Kururugi along with him.

Needless to say, the Brittanians were nursing a rather sore ego after that night.

One man had humiliated them.

One man had hoodwinked some of their best soldiers, announced to the world their plan to use an innocent man to shoulder the blame of a murder, and then vanished right under their noses. The media was going wild, the internet practically in meltdown and some of the more open-minded Brittanians openly wondering amongst themselves about their empire's less than noble hand in the whole affair.

Kaguya settled back on her perch. This Zero…was something new. Something brilliant, something…unique.

* * *

**Again, not liking the ending, but again, I am horrible at endings. Seriously, I can't even **_**watch **_**endings to things. I've never watched the ending to CG, I know what happens and I don't want to see it. It'll make me cry and I don't like being sad.**

**Please don't forget to review, it'll really help me identify areas of improvement and find out what you guys would like to see more of.**

**Cheerio, tally ho and pip pip! **

**Next word is; Money. (Hmm, that's tough one…)**


	7. Money

**Allo again!**

**This is really the part where the whole 'second chance' idea really comes into play. If that happened to me, I'd make sure I took the time to properly prepare for the things I knew were going to happen and I allowed events to happen in the same way as before so as to have a head start in everything. I would also implement some of the technological advancements into the existing frames of weaponry. So yeah, that's happening, because if someone as daft as me can think of that, then a genius like Lulu wouldn't even **_**have **_**to think about it, he'd just…do it automatically or something. Ahdunno. *flounders around***

**It should be noted that Lelouch gets sent back two years before Shinjuku with all memories intact, so he's had a lot of time to plot and prepare. I can't wait to start writing that fic, but I need more time to finish my planning. It's only two pages long at the moment, and I'm not happy until the planning stage reaches at least four pages. **

**Also, big thanks to Ghille Gloop for giving me some inspiration with this prompt, it stumped me for a little while. *100000000 free hugs for you!***

**Enjoy, my lovelies!**

**P.S. **I should probably let you all know now, but unless I expressly stipulate otherwise, none of these are in any real chronological order. So yeah…don't get confused if things are a bit backward sometimes. I've also been researching Japanese phrases and expressions, so they'll pop up every now and then and I'll include translations. The ones in this chapter however are merely ways of expressing pleasant surprise, just like we'd go "WOW!" or something.

* * *

**Man of a Million Miracles**

**7. Money**

Kallen gazed dreamily in front of her, mouth hanging wide open like a fish at the incredible sight her eyes beheld. Zero had given them an address and map directing them to an abandoned factory deep in one of the old, long abandoned industry yards, saying he had a few treats for them 'as a long overdue reward' for helping him, but _this…_this wasn't a treat. This was him absolutely spoiling them rotten, and Kallen loved every minute of it.

The Ace stood in the underground base Zero had managed to build; utterly enraptured by the single most beautiful Knightmare she'd ever seen. The machine was large, but agile, obviously built for tremendous speed and manoeuvrability. Its armour was a wonderful shade of crimson, and looked to be a composite mixture of many types of strong, but lightweight metals, alloys and fibres. The wheels on its feet were made of the finest alloy used only by the very best in Knightmare manufacturing, the material famous for its quality and durability. One of its arms was longer than the other, due to a white claw-thing fastened to the original frame, and Kallen assumed it was a weapon of some sorts.

Kallen felt her eyes glaze over at the thought of such a perfect machine in action, not even caring that she was practically drooling. Oh, what she wouldn't give to see the faces of the Brittanians when this baby was put against them. This Knightmare was unlike any seen before, and she was willing to bet even the highest ranking commanders in the Brittanian Empire didn't have anything on the same level as _this. _

She supposed it was Zero's personal Knightmare. It made sense; after all, he was the brain power behind this whole thing. He obviously needed to be the most protected. They just couldn't risk him getting killed or incapacitated during the heat of battle. That would mean disaster, perhaps even the complete obliteration of their group.

_But maybe he'll let me take it for a spin if I ask nicely. Zero's a pretty nice guy, I can't see him having a problem with that. He knows I'd take good care of this beauty. _The wistful thought drifted into the red-head's mind as she continued to gaze at the Knightmare.

"Hey Kallen, look at these!"

Oghi's excited voice somehow managed to tear Kallen's gaze from the magnificence in front of her, and she hurried over to the rest of her group. They'd oohed and aahed over the red Knightmare for a good while, examining its various components, then wandered off, leaving Kallen staring at it as though spellbound. The Ace jogged across the large underground chamber that was apparently some kind of storage/maintenance room, and she could see many other doors leading to places unknown, and a large catwalk that went all around the room with railings above that also led to other doors. She wondered just how big this underground base was, before she stopped in her tracks after reaching a small divide in the wall and her mouth dropped open once more.

She could see why Ohgi was so excited. For there, in front of them, all lined up ready and waiting under bright lights, were about twenty pure black Knightmares. They looked to be vaguely similar to a Burai in appearance, but she could clearly see some crucial differences. Their heads were completely different in design, probably for better vision, the legs built for better speed, and the weapons far more sophisticated.

"Woah…" Kallen breathed.

"I know, right?" Naomi placed a hand on the Knightmare closest to her. "They're beyond anything I've ever seen."

"How d'you think Zero got a hold of these?!" Tamaki exclaimed, his loud voice echoing across the well-lit chamber. "D'ya think he nicked 'em off the Brits?"

Ohgi shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Look at the design and colour. It's not the Brittanian style for sure, and look," he pointed.

There was a strange golden icon on the top of the Knightmares left arms, like a stylised bird outline. Kallen recognised it as the same symbol Zero wore on the crown of his mask, and was also stitched onto their uniforms.

"These are specialised, brand new straight off the designs." Ohgi continued, "Looking at them, I'd say they were original designs melded with current ones, and then fine-tuned after test runs. Nobody else will have these frames, they're completely unique."

_Just like Zero. _The Ace thought, trying not to blush.

Tamaki whistled. "Man, I knew Zero had some serious connections, but how the hell was he able to get _specialised_ Knightmares made this quickly?!"

"Yeah and think about it, it's got to be incredibly expensive to build a whole secret underground base, and Knightmare frames don't exactly come cheap. I don't even want to think about how much all the ammunition and maintenance costs just for standard one to be created from scratch, let alone twenty of them, all customised and carrying way advanced weaponry!" Naomi ran a hand through her dark hair. "You've got to wonder, where the devil did he get the money for all this stuff?!"

"It's rude to ask the price of gifts you know."

The group jumped at the soft, amused voice and whirled around, spying the slender figure of their unfathomable leader leaning casually against the wall, as if they were discussing something as inconsequential as the weather.

"Zero?! Damn, you scared the heck outta me!" Tamaki yelped, a hand over his apparently racing heart. "Don't do that, buddy! You're gonna give me a freakin' heart attack if you sneak up on me like that again!"

"A thousand sincere apologies Tamaki," Zero teased, obviously smirking behind that mask of his. "I had no idea you were so easily startled. Do remind me to never give you anything horror related for Christmas."

"If I had something to throw at you, I would."

"I'd very much like to see you try."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"I have _seen_ your aim, Tamaki, and from my observations I have concluded that I'd only be worried you would hit me if you were targeting something five miles away in the opposite direction."

The rest of the group burst into laughter as Tamaki spluttered and swore, going bright red. Naomi and Kento laughed so hard their sides hurt at the Japanese man's outraged expression and Kallen couldn't stop giggling. Yoshitika and Ohgi laughed whole-heartedly, their spirits raised dramatically by Zero's 'treats'. Once they had calmed down, Zero pushed himself up off the wall and sauntered leisurely toward them, raising an elegant hand and making a sweeping gesture to the all the Knightmares.

"I see you approve of your new toys." He commented in that vaguely bored way he always had, like he wasn't really at all that interested in anything.

"They're beautiful!" Kallen breathed, "Especially your one."

"_My_ Knightmare?" Zero seemed puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"The red one, it's yours isn't it?"

Zero stared at Kallen for a few moments, before chuckling softly and glancing over at the other end of the chamber, where the red Knightmare stood.

"Oh, you mean the Guren Mark II?" Zero shook his head. "That isn't mine at all, Kallen, I had it especially made for _you_."

Kallen felt her jaw drop for the third time that night. She couldn't believe it, she thought she'd definitely misheard the man, and he certainly hadn't just said the beautiful Knightmare was for…_her_, and for her _especially_.

"FOR ME?! ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" she shrieked, unable to contain her happiness.

"Absolutely,"

"But…but _you _need the protection! You're-"

"I am a commander, nothing more. You are one of the best pilots I have ever had the fortune to see, you are my Ace, my Knight, and any knight needs a worthy steed if she is to win the many battles that lie ahead."

Kallen, without thinking, charged across the room and enveloped Zero in a hug, burying her head into the soft fabric of his clothes, entranced by the lovely, barely there scent that always seemed to linger around him. By the time she'd realised what she'd done, Zero and the rest of the group were laughing and he had wrapped his long, warm arms around the red-faced girl.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I promise I'll do everything I can to win every battle and repay you for all you've done for us!" Kallen squeaked as she pulled away from the embrace, going as crimson as her hair. "I'm sorry about…uh…attacking you like that. I don't know what came over me."

Zero laughed again, and patted her head. "Not to worry, my dear Kallen." The Ace's face went even redder at the affectionate title.

"You could fry an egg on your face Kally!" Tamaki cackled.

"Shaddap," Kallen muttered.

"Make me, tomato face!"

"I said shut up!"

"Enough," Zero said, before an argument could break out.

He turned back to the Knightmares with a sigh.

"I would have preferred more time to improve the frankly tedious design flaws of these frames, but unfortunately I received some information that requires immediate action, and thus they had to be brought into the field far earlier than I'm happier with."

"What do you mean, 'improve them'?!"Yoshitika exclaimed, incredulous at the masked man. He twisted around and waved his hand at the nearest frame. "Zero, these are way more advanced than any Knightmares even the JLF have! They're incredible!"

"Quite so, however I find the main control firewalls to be obnoxiously vulnerable against high-level malicious programming, and the shoulder-mounted weapon discharge time is a tad too slow for my taste." Zero sighed, "Though I suppose it is by no fault of the engineers, the current technology only allows for a certain amount of tweaking before we start wandering into the realms of prototypes, which isn't a land I endeavour to explore just yet in regard to full Knightmare frames."

Kallen laughed. "Okay, so we avoid hacks and viruses, and mind how we deploy the shoulder weapons. Those aren't big problems Zero; in fact, they're hardly problems at all!"

"The fact that these flaws _exist _makes them a problem."

Zero shook his head and walked off, obviously done with the conversation. He gestured for them to follow, and they obediently trotted after him. Kallen filed away the newfound fact that he was a perfectionist to her list of _**'Things I Know About Zero'.**_

Not that she actually_ had_ a list of things she knew about him. Of course not, that would be silly and girlish and she wasn't either of those things.

The group trailed behind Zero, chatting amongst themselves, occasionally glancing around at the simple, well-lit corridor he was leading them down. It had dark silver walls and a black floor, but had no decoration to it. They couldn't help but wonder where he was taking them, and if he had any more surprises up his sleeve for them to marvel at.

Turns out, he did.

Zero turned left and a large silver door slid open in welcome, and the sight it revealed stunned the group into silence. They stepped into the room after their leader, turning full circles as they took in the luxury around them. There were two levels to the huge, white chamber they now stood in. The bottom level was richly decorated with masterful paintings and intricately woven rugs, and lavish furniture was set out so that it looked like a kind of place for the group to relax or wait while strategies and plans were thought out and orders distributed. They turned their gazed upwards; their eyes scanning over the wide, magnificent staircase that lead to what they assumed was some sort of main command centre, as indicated by the many advanced computers, large screens and holographic tactical map atop the upstairs space.

"Saikou!" Kallen exclaimed.

"Holy shit…" Tamaki ignored the glare Ohgi gave him and turned to their masked leader with an astounded look. "Just how big is this place?!"

Zero, who was again leaning against a wall, considered the question. "I don't know the exact measurements, but it contains around one hundred decent sized living quarters, a training room, a medical wing plus morgue, the Knightmare storage and maintenance room we just came from, three specialised labs, and several other things I'm far too lazy to list."

The group stared at him, mouths open like Coi fish.

"What?" he asked.

"Ajapa, Zero! How…how the _hell _did you manage to build all this?!" Ohgi choked. "I mean, okay I knew it was a big place, but…I don't…"

"C'mon man, you've _got_ to tell us how you pulled this one off!" Tamaki groaned.

Zero, to their surprise, began laughing.

"I will leave you to your deductions. I have a few important matters to deal with right now, but you are all welcome to have a wander around your new base." He said, once his chuckles died down. "Just be sure not to press any big red buttons."

Shaking his head at the stupefied group in front of him, he sauntered back out the door and vanished from sight. The small terrorist group stood in complete, dumbfounded silence for about a minute, eyes fixed on the now closed door.

"Okay." Tamaki swiftly and predictably broke the silence. "That settles it. Zero is _definitely _some kinda nobleman or royalty or somethin'. He's got to be to pay for all…this!" He gestured wildly around at the huge room.

Kallen blinked. "You think he paid for this out of his own money?"

"Well yeah! It doesn't make sense otherwise! Damn, Zero must be fuckin' _loaded_!"

"Tamaki's right." Ohgi put in, while Kento, Naomi and Yoshitika nodded earnestly. "There's no way anyone, even someone as brilliant as Zero would risk having stuff traced back to them by paying for this with anything illegal."

"But if we say he's a nobleman, then that implies he's a Brit." Naomi sat down on one of the beautifully designed loveseats scattered around the room.

"Yeah, it does." Yoshitika joined her.

Nobody really knew how to feel about that. While it was true Kallen was half Brittanian, the group usually didn't have any love towards Brittanian citizens, but if Zero, the man who had saved them, performed a miracle, and swore to bring down the Empire, was in fact one himself…then…what were they supposed to think?

Suddenly, Tamaki burst into fits of hysterical laughter, stopping all serious thoughts in their tracks. Everyone looked at him quizzically and waited for his giggles to stop, giving each other questioning glances while still checking out parts of the room.

"Hey, guys!" The red-headed Japanese man spluttered. "If-if Zero's a high-up Brit with tonnes and tonnes of dosh, then," he began giggling again, "All there's left to do is find out who he is, then Kallen can ask her dad to set the wedding date and get the nursery ready!"

The resulting slap echoed across the high walls of the chamber.

* * *

**Sorry if its rubbish, I'm not feeling too good today, stomach feels icky and my head hurts. :( I would take some headache pills, but sadly I have a bit of a phobia of medicine. Seriously, the moment someone tries to get me to take any kind of medication, I start shaking, I feel sicker and my throat kind of sticks together. It's weird. Does anyone else out there have the same affliction, or am I utterly on my tod with this?**

**Huge, massive glitter covered thanks to all those who have faved/followed this story so far, and please don't forget to review. **

**Next word is; Childhood (Er…hmm…)**


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